Little Sprout Interviewed on Vegansaurus

Today was Little Sprout's turn to be featured on the Vegansaurus blog for their Happy Veggie Kids feature - and like her brother, she got a big kick out of seeing her picture and answers on screen.

Check out her interview here.

Check out Big Sprout on Vegansaurus!

Recently, Big Sprout answered some questions about being vegan for the Happy Veggie Kids feature on the fabulous Vegansaurus blog. Today, he was thrilled to see his picture and interview on the blog (he's been making me check it hourly for the past few days!) and extra excited to see that they'd shared the link to his Tofurky Reuben recipe.

Be sure to swing by and check it out to read about Big Sprout (or "Noah" since he uses his real name) and other cool veggie kids!

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head Like You've Never Seen Them Before

And Mr. & Mrs. Cucumber Head, too. This is what the Sprouts were up to today during quiet time . . .

Big Sprout's Cheeseburger Sandwich

This is my new cheeseburger sandwich. I made it today. Mommy cut the bread, but I put it together and made it myself. It takes two slices of bread, two pieces of vegan cheese and two pieces of lettuce. Put it all together with a little mustard and ketchup on both sides. Yummy!

I ate it before I went to play baseball, and I even took the picture myself.

Sprout Ratings

Big Sprout - 5 sprouts

Mystery Meal - Revealed

Last night, Big Sprout announced that he wanted to make brunch today, which - of course - was music to my ears. He selected the Orange Scones and Tempeh Bacon from Veganomicon, and Jim ran up to Publix to pick up a few ingredients we were missing.

This morning, I slept in (yay!), and Jim supervised the cooking. All by himself, Big Sprout measured and mixed the ingredients, rolled out the dough and cut it into "pizza-shaped" pieces. After they baked, he topped them off with an orange glaze. The result was a light, fluffy scone - not overly sweet with just the right amount of orange flavor. I was very impressed since this recipe called for a few advance kitchen moves; Big Sprout now knows how to zest an orange!

The tempeh bacon didn't go according to plan . . . mostly because instead of picking up the plain package of tempeh the recipe called for, Jim picked up the sliced, pre-seasoned kind (I just wrote "tempeh" on the shopping list). It worked out well though, and breakfast turned out to be a real treat for everyone!

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 spouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Mystery Meal

Big Sprout just announced that he's cooking brunch tomorrow morning. Yay! I love that this blog has inspired him to cook - and that he's been open to learning to cook by following recipes. And hey, even Little Sprout brought us breakfast in bed twice this week (a big bowl of berries and grapes).

For tomorrow, Big Sprout picked out two recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance, and Jim is off to Publix to pick up the missing ingredients.

What did he choose? How will it turn out??? I'll let him fill you in on the details tomorrow.

Kids in the Kitchen - Maple Pecan Cookies

Today I baked cookies. The cookbook was Vegan with a Vengeance in the cookie section. They're called Maple Walnut Cookies. We had most of the ingredients, and we only had two to buy - maple syrup and walnuts. And we also got a little extra pure vanilla extract.

Well this time I did it with no help, and my sister even tried to give it over 2000 sprouts. You mix all the ingredients together and then you put them on a cookie sheet with a tablespoon. Put them two inches away from each other and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

They were really good, and everybody loved them!

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

About Being Vegan (by Big Sprout)

Well, if you want you can be vegan like us. Eating vegan also helps your body and keeps your arteries clear. Now, there are also some other things about being vegan. 

1. You don't hurt any animals, including cute ones.

2. Now when you become vegan, stuff changes in your body. When you eat healthier, you can open up new brain cells. It's actually true.

3. The third thing about being vegan is that there are plenty of choices that look and taste so delicious.

4. Now the fourth thing about being vegan is that there are so many fruits and vegetables that have pretty different colors and all the nutrition. You can make all different types of salads that are as delicious as the ones that aren't vegan.

5. Eating vegan makes you feel nice and good.

6. When you eat vegan, you can make vegan desserts. It doesn't mean you can't eat desserts anymore. Mama Sprout is making a delicious banana split this week.

About the Sprouts

I just finished interviewing my two little sprouts, who for the purposes of this blog, have named themselves Big Sprout and Little Sprout. Here's a little more info to help you get to know them:

Big Sprout, Age 7
Favorite fruit: Oranges, apples, watermelon
Favorite veggie: Lettuce, Asparagus, Broccoli
Favorite breakfast: Pancakes
Favorite lunch: Chickpea salad; Fakin', Lettuce & Tomato (with avocado)
Favorite dinner: Lentil loaf, butternut coconut rice (Appetite for Reduction)
Favorite salad dressing: Agave dijon (Skinny Bitch in the Kitch)
Favorite snack: Popcorn
Favorite unusual snack: Kidney beans with ketchup and mustard
Favorite treat: Cookies, chocolate-raspberry cake (Vegan with a Vengeance)
Favorite drink: Kombucha
Doesn't eat: Tomatoes, olives
Favorite restaurant: Ethos Vegan Kitchen
Favorite activity: Cycling, baseball, running, swimming, hockey

Little Sprout, Age 4
Favorite fruit: Mango, kiwi, watermelon, tangerines
Favorite veggie:Broccoli, carrots, celery
Favorite breakfast: Pancakes, oatmeal, chocolate-blueberry smoothies
Favorite lunch: Veggie pitas
Favorite dinner: Green Goddess Pasta, stuffed shells
Favorite salad dressing: Agave dijon (Skinny Bitch in the Kitch) 
Favorite snack: Popcorn
Favorite unusual snack: Olives, hummus 
Favorite treat: Chocolate chip cookies, homemade vegan ice cream
Favorite drink: Kombucha
Doesn't eat: Mushrooms, tomatoes
Favorite restaurant: Ethos Vegan Kitchen
Favorite activity: Bellydance, ballet, biking, running, swimming, horseback riding

My kids are great eaters, and that makes me very happy. But let me put it out there that they're not some kale-loving flukes of nature. If it were up to them, I'm 95% certain that they'd subsist on cupcakes and cheese . . . as would I, if we're being frank. But over the past decade or so, I've learned that both my health and the size of my ass suffer when I try to do this so I've moved on to a more balanced nutrition plan.

We talk a lot about why we should eat what our bodies need rather than what our taste buds always want, and I really think that, as much as they can for their age, they really get it. Understanding why we make choices that sometimes seem difficult really helps them enjoy healthy foods!